A Colorimetric Hydrocarbon Sensor Employing a Swelling‐Induced Mechanochromic Polydiacetylene

Exceptional challenges have confronted the rational design of colorimetric sensors for saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons (SAHCs). The main reasons for this difficulty are the extremely nonpolar nature of these targets and their lack of functional groups that can interact with probes. By taking advantage of a mechanochromic conjugated polydiacetylene (PDA) and the hydrocarbon‐induced swelling properties of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a sensor film that enables simple, colorimetric differentiation between a variety of C5 to C14 aliphatic hydrocarbons is fabricated. The unprecedented PDA–PDMS composite sensor undergoes a blue‐to‐red colorimetric transition on a timescale that is dependent on the chain length of the hydrocarbon target. In addition, the development of the red color is directly proportional to the swelling ratio of the film. This straightforward approach enables naked‐eye differentiation between n‐pentane and n‐heptane. The versatility of the sensor system is demonstrated by using it for the colorimetric determination of kerosene in adulterated diesel oil. Finally, the observation that a PDA microcrystal in the film undergoes significant expansion and tearing in concert with a blue‐to‐red colorimetric transition during the swelling process provides direct evidence for the mechanism for the mechanochromic behavior of the PDA.     

Submillimeter transmission spectra of Sr2Ca2Cu4Oy

Transmission spectra of Sr₂Ca₂Cu₄O_y, which is a part of high T_c superconducting system Bi₂Sr₂Ca_n?1Cu_nO_z, and their temperature evolutions were investigated by monochromatic quasioptical submillimeter spectroscopy. Strong increase of high frequency conductivity in the range 80 to 350K was revealed. The obtained results were analyzed on basis of thermally activated carriers model.     

Cholesterol removal from homogenized milk with beta-cyclodextrin

This study was carried out to determine optimum conditions of five different factors (beta-cyclodextrin concentration, mixing temperature, mixing time, centrifugal force, and centrifugation time) in reduction of cholesterol in 3.6% fat, homogenized milk by application of beta-cyclodextrin. beta-Cyclodextrin at 0.5 to 1.5% provided 92.2 to 95.3% removal of cholesterol when mixed at 10 degrees C for 10 min. Among other factors, mixing time (5 to 20 min) did not significantly affect cholesterol removal. Removal was enhanced with increasing centrifugal forces up to 166x g (95.9%) but decreased thereafter. Various centrifugation times (5 to 20 min) did not have significant effects. Based on these results, we suggest that the optimum conditions for the process are addition of 1.5% beta-cyclodextrin, mixing temperature of 10 degrees C, 10-min mixing time, and centrifugation at 166x g for 10 min.     

Microbial removal of Fe(III) impurities from clay using dissimilatory iron reducers

Fe(III) impurities, which detract refractoriness and whiteness from porcelain and pottery, could be biologically removed from low-quality clay by indigenous dissimilatory Fe(III)-reducing microorganisms. Insoluble Fe(III) in clay particles was leached out as soluble Fe(II), and the Fe(III) reduction reaction was coupled to the oxidation of sugars such as glucose, maltose and sucrose. A maximum removal of 44-45% was obtained when the relative amount of sugar was 5% (w/w; sugar/clay). By the microbial treatment, the whiteness of the clay was increased from 63.20 to 79.64, whereas the redness was clearly decreased from 13.47 to 3.55.     

Inhibitory effect of mineral ion accumulation on high density growth of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus

A fed-batch operation for high density cultivation of Sulfolobus solfataricus (DSM 1617) in a bench-top fermentor using a feed medium composed of glucose and yeast extract was investigated. The highest maximal cell density obtained in controlled fed-batch cultures was 21.7 g/l. Although higher yeast extract concentrations in the medium favored greater cell biomass yield, cell growth ceased with low cell densities. It was observed that large amounts of inorganic ions, such as sulfate, ammonium, potassium and phosphate ions, were accumulated in the culture broth at higher yeast extract concentrations. This was due to either the addition of the titrant or feeding of yeast extract during cultivation. Fed-batch cultures with additional mineral salts in the feed medium showed much lower cell biomass, indicating that accumulation of inorganic ions has a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of S. solfataricus. Inhibition of cell growth by the presence of mineral ions was further confirmed by the batch culture experiments. Some plausible mechanisms which can account for the growth inhibition at higher mineral ion concentrations have been suggested.     

Cloning and functional analysis of the Aspergillus oryzae conidiation regulator gene brlA by its disruption and misscheduled expression

We cloned the brlA gene from Aspergillus oryzae genomic DNA using the A. nidulans brlA gene as a probe. A 3.1-kb EcoRI-BalI genomic DNA fragment was cloned and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence revealed 70% identity with A. nidulans BRLA and contained two C2H2 zinc finger motifs in its carboxyl terminus, and the promoter sequence contained a 43-bp highly conserved region, indicating that the cloned gene was an A. oryzae homologue of A. nidulans brlA. Disruption of the brlA gene by homologous recombination resulted in the loss of ability to form conidiophores. These results suggest that the brlA gene of A. oryzae plays a fundamental role in controlling conidiophore development. When the brlA gene was expressed under the control of the amyB promoter in A. oryzae transformants, highly differentiated and compact colonies were observed on a solid medium. The misscheduled expression of the brlA gene in submerged culture, in which conidiation does not normally occur, caused the development of complex conidiophore structures with vesicles, phialides and conidia.     

Fermentation of rice using amylolytic Bifidobacterium

Twenty-two amylolytic bifidobacteria grown in BHI-starch media were compared for the amylase activity of the intra- and extra-cellular enzymes. The activity of the cells grown in the liquid medium differed considerably. Among the strains tested B. adolescentis Int57 and B. adolescentis ZS8 exhibited higher activities than others. In rice medium containing 0.05% -cysteine·HCl and 0.2% yeast extract, the amylolytic Bifidobacterium strains grew considerably better than non-amylolytic Bifidobacterium strains. B. adolescentis Int57, which showed highest growth and amylase activity in the rice medium, was chosen and rice fermentation was investigated. The titratable acidity (TA) reached 2.43 and pH decreased to 4.4 after 24 h fermentation. The relative ratio of acetic acid to lactic acid gradually decreased during fermentation. The concentration of reducing sugar and amylase activity gradually increased and reached 14 mg maltose equivalent/ml and 35 mU/ml min, respectively, in 24 h. The accumulated reducing sugar was mostly maltotriose. The layer-separation of fermented product was stabilized by the addition of 1% gelatin. It was suggested that amylolytic bifidobacteria may be used for the production of fermented rice products.     

Comparison of Protein Extraction Solutions for Rice Starch Isolation and Effects of Residual Protein Content on Starch Pasting Properties

Protein extraction solutions such as aqueous solutions of sodium hydroxide (0.1 and 0.2 %), sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS, 1.2 %) containing sodium sulfite (0.12 %), and dodecylbenzene sulfonate (DoBS, 1.2 %) containing sodium sulfite (0.12 %) were compared in their protein removal efficiencies during isolation of starch from a rice flour (Ilpumbyo, a nonwaxy Korean rice variety). In addition, the pasting properties of the isolated starch was compared. More than 80 % of the flour protein was extracted in 1 h by stirring the dispersion (1:3, w/v) at room temperature. Repeating the extractions (1 or 2 h for each step) with fresh solution significantly increased the protein removal efficiency. When the extraction in 0.2 % NaOH was repeated four times (1 h for each step) at 25°C, the residual protein content in the isolated rice starch was 0.9 % (DB), equivalent to 86 % removal of the rice protein. Raising the extraction temperature slightly increased the protein solubility, but starch loss also became significant. Among the solutions, DoBS was most effective in removing rice protein whereas SLS was least. The residual protein content had a critical role in determining the pasting characteristics of the isolated starch, showing a negative correlation to the peak viscosity of the starch paste, but a positive correlation to the pasting temperature.     

Design of Millimeter Wave TFMS Bandpass Filter

In this paper, a Ka-band thin film microstrip line(TFMS) filter with multi-layer structure on silicon substrate is introduced. The simulated results show that it is possible to design compact millimeter-wave filter on silicon substrate with process compatible to current VLSI technology.     

Scalability study of the ad hoc on‐demand distance vector routing protocol

As mobile networking continues to experience increasing popularity, the need to connect large numbers of wireless devices will become more prevalent. Many recent proposals for ad hoc routing have certain characteristics that may limit their scalability to large networks. This paper examines five different combinations of modifications that may be incorporated into virtually any on‐demand protocol in order to improve its scalability. The scalability of current on‐demand routing protocols is evaluated through the selection of a representative from this class of protocols. The performance of the un‐modified on‐demand protocol is compared against that of it combined with each of the scalability modifications. Each scheme's behavior is analyzed in networks as large as 10,000 nodes through detailed simulation. Based on the observations, conclusions are drawn as to the expected scalability improvement that can be achieved by each modification. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.